Names and faces
■ The Austrian government said Saturday it is giving the country’s centuries-old Vienna Boys Choir $884,000 to help it out of severe financial difficulties. “It goes without saying that we will rescue them from their financial plight,” Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said. “We are proud of this world-famous choir, which has existed for more than 500 years and is part of the Austrian identity, and we will do everything we can to secure its future,” he added in a written statement. The choirboys should be able to “go into the coming year without existential worries,” the chancellor added. The approximately 100 singers between the ages of 9 and 14 are divided into four choirs that perform all over the world. The choir had been struggling with rising costs due to inflation and a lack of income after many of its concerts were canceled during the coronavirus pandemic. The president of the choir, Erich Arthold, expressed his gratitude for the quick financial aid provided by the government. “It’s a cushion that will see us through to the end of the season” in August, he told Austrian news agency APA.
■ Prosecutors are telling a Nevada judge that witnesses may be at risk in the case of a former Los Angeles-area gang leader charged with orchestrating the killing of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas more than 27 years ago. A court filing submitted Thursday urges the judge to keep Duane “Keffe D” Davis behind bars until trial, alleging that a list of witnesses was given to Davis family members, and that Davis’ son told the defendant during a recorded jail telephone call that a “green light” order had been given. “In [Davis’] world, a ‘green light’ is an authorization to kill,” prosecutors Marc DiGiacomo and Binu Palal said in the court filing. “This caused enough concern that the federal government stepped in and provided resources to at least [one witness] so he could change his residence,” the prosecutors wrote, calling the Oct. 9 jail call evidence of “credible threats to witnesses [that] demonstrate both a consciousness of guilt and that defendant poses a danger to the community.” DiGiacomo and Palal were not immediately available Friday for comment. One of Davis’ court-appointed attorneys, Robert Arroyo, said he and co-counsel Charles Cano were reviewing the prosecution allegations and intend to respond in court today. A hearing is scheduled on Davis’ request to post $100,000 bail and remain on house arrest until his trial in June.